Lagos ride-hailing drivers began an indefinite Bolt and inDrive strike on Monday, six weeks after Uber quit Nigeria and left the market with fewer players.
The Lagos council of the Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) told members to withdraw from both apps from 12 October. State chairman Jaiyesimi Olalabi Azeez signed the notice. It says the action runs until further notice or until the platforms make satisfactory progress.
The union wants a 10 percent commission cap and a review of platform fares. It also wants welfare structures for drivers, including health insurance, accident support and social protection.
Early reports point to thinner supply. Technext reported fewer rides and longer waits on both apps, and one inDrive user said no cars were available for two hours. Nobody has published how many drivers joined. Treat reports of disruption as early and unverified.
Bolt offers talks while inDrive stays silent
Bolt moved before the strike began. Weyinmi Aghadiuno, its head of regulatory and policy for Africa, said the company recognises the pressure on driver earnings. Bolt proposed a roundtable with AUATON and driver representatives early this week and urged drivers to keep working in the meantime.
An offer to talk is not a concession. The union had already declared the strike, and no agreement on any demand has been reported. inDrive, which the union also named, had not issued a public response in the reports TechMoonshot reviewed.
Commission is the core dispute. Bolt has said it charges 20 percent in Lagos and 21 percent in Abuja, and it rejects claims that it takes as much as 30 percent. In an earlier statement, the company said drivers keep more than 75 percent of a typical ₦5,000 Lagos fare after commission, VAT and other levies. A 10 percent cap would halve Bolt’s stated Lagos rate.
Uber’s exit shifted the balance
Uber ended its Nigerian operations on 2 September after 12 years, according to its message to users. It also stopped operating in Uganda. Moove, the vehicle-financing company backed by Uber, said on 8 October that it would close its Nigerian business, Techpoint Africa reported. It plans to hand eligible vehicles worth about ₦35 billion to the customers using them.
With Uber gone, Bolt, inDrive and smaller local operators carry the market. That gives drivers a clearer target. It also leaves riders with fewer alternatives if the strike drags on.
Drivers have been here before. Brandcom’s review of the sector counts coordinated protests over commissions since 2017, with more in 2021, 2023 and 2025. Earlier petitions to Lagos lawmakers asked for a cap as low as 5 percent, so the 10 percent demand is double that earlier ask.
Drivers carry the first cost of the strike
Striking has a price. The Will reported that many drivers make daily payments to vehicle owners, so withdrawing service can deepen their debt pressure. AUATON appealed to fleet partners not to penalise participating drivers.
Techpoint Africa reported that the union sought temporary relief from vehicle financiers ahead of the shutdown. It also reported that Moove initially held that repayment contracts stayed binding after Uber’s exit. Drivers who stay offline could fall behind on those payments.
The harder question is leverage. AUATON has asked the Lagos State Government, federal authorities and labour institutions to step in. That suggests the union wants a referee, not just a conversation with the platforms. It is an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress, according to Pulse, and says it is weighing alternative arrangements that give drivers more independence. It has not given details.
